Afterpay: Changing consumer shopping experience

March 29, 2017

Online shopping and the role convenience and flexibility plays in changing consumer behaviour

Take your mind back to a time where online shopping was not as readily available as it is today, where you had to ensure you had enough money in the bank before a purchase, or ensure your credit card had balance for those large purchases. I remember wanting to purchase a dress for a party, and not being able to front the money immediately, resulting in borrowing (stealing) my older sister’s dress, and thus losing the ‘dress of my dreams’. Fortunately, fashion has evolved and that dress is no longer the dress of my dreams, but like fashion, technology has evolved. It has created convenience in many aspects of our lives, often creating seamless and effortless experiences.

Online shopping has opened a world of convenience for consumers like never before. To quote Mean Girls “the limit does not exist” when it comes to online shopping. Consumers can sit happily in their pyjamas, and scroll through endless pages of products without any judgement or pressure. Time and customer interaction no longer play a pivotal role in shopping experience; customers don’t have to duck down to the shops before close, and they no longer have to face the overtly bubbly shop assistant who’s asking repeatedly if you need any help to let them know.

The combination of flexibility, convenience and being able to receive a product immediately is exactly what millennials were craving. Millennials have been raised in a world where nearly everything is readily available, and technology evolves at rates that businesses struggle to keep up. Online shopping created the convenience millennials desired, and allowed flexibility with their shopping experience, however when you’re on a budget or your wallet is a little light, it can prevent transactions from occurring. Incredibly frustrating when all you want to do is impress your mates with how on trend you are but your wallet won’t support that decision. That’s where companies like Afterpay step in.

Afterpay is an Australian company that acts as a financial buffer for online shoppers offering split payments over four equal fortnightly instalments. They provide choice of payment either on a credit card or debit card, and the money is automatically debited from the chosen account, offering convenience, simplicity and flexibility with purchases.

Cue, a popular female fashion brand has partnered with Afterpay and saw an uptake of 16% of e-commerce sales attributed to Afterpay along with an AOV increase of 20%. With online sales in Australia exceeding $20 billion in 2016 and growing five times faster than traditional retail spending, it’s apparent there’s a place for companies like Afterpay in the market.